Pakistan win toss, bowl first against Sri Lanka

Updated at: 1044 PST,  Thursday, July 30, 2009
DAMBULLA: Pakistan won the toss and choose to bowl first against Sri Lanka in the first of their five one-day internationals on Thursday.

Pakistan: Younus Khan (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Fawad Alam,Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah ul Haq,Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara

UK: Intelligence sharing with the US threatened

Updated at: 0129 PST,  Thursday, July 30, 2009
LONDON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the United States will restrict intelligence-sharing with the U.K. if a British court reveals secret details of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee’s treatment, a British government lawyer said Wednesday.

Karen Steyn, a lawyer acting on behalf of the British government, told Britain’s High Court that Clinton had explained to her counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, that intelligence sharing between the two countries is at risk if a court makes public so far undisclosed sections of a 2008 ruling on the alleged torture of Binyam Mohamed.

Mohamed, an Ethiopian who moved to Britain as a teenager, was arrested in 2002 in Pakistan. He alleges he was tortured there and in Morocco — where he says interrogators sliced his penis with a scalpel — before he was transferred to Afghanistan, and then to the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay in 2004.

He was accused of plotting to explode a “dirty bomb” in the United States, but was freed in February without charge and returned to Britain.

Mohamed’s lawyers originally launched a legal case demanding full disclosure of what Britain’s government knew about his treatment in detention.

The court ruled in 2008 that the lawyers could have access to the documents — with some information redacted — but also barred the public dissemination of the information.

The judges at Britain’s High Court said they had reluctantly accepted the government’s claim that publication of the paragraphs could harm U.S.-British intelligence sharing, noting that keeping the details secret amounted to concealing “evidence of serious wrongdoing by the United States.”

The judges are reconsidering their decision following a lawsuit launched by several media groups.

Lawyers acting for the media groups argue that President Barack Obama’s administration may be open to Britain publishing the passages, citing Obama’s decision to release memos detailing Bush-era interrogation techniques.

CJ says constitution’s interpretation is right of judiciary

Updated at: 1010 PST,  Thursday, July 30, 2009
ISLAMABAD: The hearing of a constitutional petition challenging the appointments of all such judges of the superior courts who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) and imposition of PCO in Supreme Court is underway.

A 14-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed hearing today.

Hamid Khan advocate who started his arguments yesterday has been asked to complete his statement by 11 a.m. today. The bench also started the hearing of the case an hour before the scheduled time of courts’ opening.

While giving arguments, Hamid Khan said steps taken on November 3 were unconstitutional and they should be eliminated.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in his remarks said stage has not reached where we can dismantle everything. National security is responsibility of everyone and we should prefer national interest. He said after November 3, such ordinances were also issued which were related to national security. Parliament can review ordinances.

Chief Justice said steps against judiciary will be reviewed. We don’t claim supremacy but constitution interpretation is right of judiciary. We should be assisted whatever we can save.

Bangladesh win ODI series over West Indies

Updated at: 0645 PST,  Wednesday, July 29, 2009
DOMINICA: Bangladesh claimed their first one-day series success over a current test-playing nation with a three-wicket victory over West Indies on Tuesday to secure a 2-0 lead with one match remaining.

The triumph adds to the successful tour of the Caribbean for the Tigers who have also enjoyed their first test series win overseas.

Travis Dowlin struck his maiden international century as the weakened West Indies side racked up an impressive 274 for six in their 50 overs.

Bangladesh had never chased down such a total in any of their previous 199 ODI games but once again skipper Shakib Al Hasan produced a match-winning performance.

Al Hasan (65) and Mohammad Ashraful (64) put on 74 for the fourth wicket in just 10.3 overs – a partnership that turned the match in Bangladesh’s direction.

Al Hasan was fortunate to survive though when he brought up his 50 with a skied shot which was dropped by Darren Sammy as he collided with team-mate Dave Bernard in the deep.

The pair were both injured in the incident and more trouble was to come for West Indies when their main strike bowler, Kemar Roach, bowled a second ‘beamer’ and was barred from bowling by the umpire.

With no obvious sixth bowler in the team, wicket-keeper Devon Thomas took off his pads and bowled the final ball of Roach’s over.

Mushfiqur Rahim’s 31 in 30 balls took the tourists close to the target helped along by some abysmal work from West Indies in the field.

There was some joy for Thomas though as the keeper turned seamer picked up two wickets but by then Bangladesh were effectively home.

Despite the end of strike action from their leading players, West Indies selectors had chosen to stick with the back-up squad they had originally selected for the series.

The ODI series ends with the final game in St.Kitts on Friday before the tour is completed with a Twenty20 game at the same venue on Sunday.

Two die in DIK court blast

Updated at: 1024 PST,  Wednesday, July 29, 2009
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two persons have been killed and four injured in a remote- controlled bomb blast in Dera Ismail Khan.

According to police sources, the bomb was planted in a car of advocate Mastan Ali Shah parked in DIK district court. Two persons killed and four injured in the blast. The bodies and injured shifted to district headquarter hospital where one is reported in a critical condition. Several vehicles also damaged in the blast. Police have cordoned off the area and started investigations.

SC hears PCO judges’ case

Updated at: 1104 PST,  Wednesday, July 29, 2009
ISLAMABAD: The hearing of a constitutional petition challenging the appointments of all such judges of the superior courts who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) in Supreme Court is underway.

A 14-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed hearing today. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry asked if there is anyone appeared in the court on behalf of former president but no one turned up in reply.

The said bench last week had served notice on former Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf to appear either in person or through his counsel before the court on Wednesday (today) to defend his position on the imposition of martial law in 2007, making over 60 judges non-functional.

On the other hand, Hamid Khan continued arguments on behalf of Sindh High Court Bar. Former Deputy Attorney General Raja Muhammad Irshad also hear the petition in which he pleaded the court that he wants to submit statement about the incidents happened before November 3.